Chapter 102: Acceptance Speech
Lu Xu had originally thought he would remain calm about winning the award.
For the past two years, he had been nominated but hadn’t won. His mood had always been steady, without feelings of disappointment or sadness, and he hadn’t envied Yue Hui or Guo Yining, who had taken home the awards.
However, in this moment, when the camera focused on his face and the big screen displayed his image, Lu Xu felt his emotions ignite.
He needed recognition.
And at this very moment, he had received it.
[Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]
[Please let me scream freely! Lu Puppy won an award!!!]
[Finally—the youngest Best Actor in the history of the Stellar Awards!!!]
The moment Lu Xu stood up, Shao Yao bumped fists with him across several rows of seats—it was still a bit too challenging for Shao Yao to give him a full hug in front of the entire audience.
But Lu Xu ran over and hugged him anyway.
Mu Qian and Jin Mu, on the other hand, had no such reservations. One of them ruffled Lu Xu’s carefully styled hair into a mess, while the other gave him an encouraging pat on the back.
Of course, Jin Mu didn’t forget to smooth his hair back into place afterward.
The guest seating area erupted in sustained applause.
Lu Xu’s gaze shifted to the stage. To him, the podium at this moment seemed impossibly bright. He even forgot that he should first walk up and claim the trophy until Mu Qian and Jin Mu gave him a shove.
“After tonight, Lu Xu has solidified his place as a top-tier actor.”
“The Stellar Awards, held for decades now, have finally welcomed their first Best Actor under the age of thirty.”
Lu Xu slowly walked up to the stage.
The outfit carefully prepared by G-brand shone in this moment, and as he moved, the suit seemed to radiate brilliance. The grandeur and solemnity of the Stellar Awards stage blended seamlessly with Lu Xu’s presence.
The young man standing on the podium possessed a stunningly beautiful face, one that elicited screams from fans every time he appeared. But more dazzling than his looks were the iconic characters he had brought to life on screen.
From Qin Zhao to Yu Yi, and then to Huang Luning, he had finally claimed his very first Stellar Award trophy.
It was well-deserved, earned with honor and integrity.
[Look at Lu Xu, then look at Gu Sinian and Zhang Che—pure talent wins it all.]
[I feel like crying. Lu Xu’s journey hasn’t been easy!]
[Even though Lu Xu’s acting career seemed smooth on the surface, I still want to say that whether it’s the Stellar Award or the popularity of dramas like When I Was 18 and The Path of Bones, he fought for every bit of it with everything he had. Lu Xu deserves this!!]
[I’m screaming at the top of my lungs!!!]
From the moment the red carpet event began, everything about this year’s Stellar Awards had dominated trending topics. But the instant Lu Xu won Best Actor, the event’s popularity exploded to new heights.
The Stellar Awards had historically provided few opportunities for young actors. An unspoken rule had long existed in the industry—male actors under the age of thirty, or those without years of experience in serious dramas, had no chance of winning.
But tonight, Lu Xu shattered that rule.
Ever since When I Was 18 became a massive hit, Lu Xu had already been acknowledged as one of the top rising stars in the industry. Yet now, his record had become even more extraordinary.
[Just wondering, does Lin Ge Entertainment regret their decision now?]
[Honestly, this is the ultimate comeback story! A true underdog victory!]
…
As Lu Xu stood in front of the microphone, holding the star-shaped trophy in his hand, countless pairs of eyes were fixed on him.
Lu Xu didn’t cry, nor did his eyes redden. He simply smiled—a smile brighter than usual, so beautiful that it seemed as if he had stepped out of a painting.
“I really loved the character Huang Luning. The moment I got the script, even though I hadn’t decided to take on the role, scenes of portraying him were already forming in my mind. I was afraid of letting the character down, but thankfully, I didn’t.”
“After accepting this role, and through the process of bringing him to life, I gained a deeper understanding of the world. I became more attuned to observing everyone around me because, under Jin Mu’s pen, Huang Luning is both small and grand, strong and fragile, approachable yet warm. He’s a collection of many people I’ve met in my life.”
“I’m honored to have portrayed Huang Luning, and even more honored that so many people love this character. I hope everyone, like Huang Luning, can experience a warm and happy life—surrounded by favor and wrapped in kindness.”
Lu Xu went on to thank the entire crew of When I Was 18, the Stellar Awards committee, and Xu Wen.
In a corner of the audience, his manager waved at him vigorously.
Lu Xu returned an even brighter smile.
[I love Huang Luning too!]
[Ah, I didn’t cry when Lu Xu won the award, but after hearing his acceptance speech, I couldn’t hold back anymore. He wishes for others to be surrounded by favor and kindness, but back in his Verse days, he endured so much pain.]
[+1. I can’t believe I heard such words coming from Lu Xu.]
[He’s moved past it. The future is bound to be brilliant for him!]
[Lu Xu is the strongest person I’ve ever seen. Ahhhh, become a superstar already, Lu Puppy! Launch into the stars!]
…
That night, hashtags like #Lu Xu Stellar Awards Best Actor and #Lu Xu Youngest Best Actor trended repeatedly. From the moment Lu Xu stepped onto the red carpet, discussions about him never ceased. Even the suit he wore—exactly as G-brand had hoped—made its way onto the trending list.
Lu Xu became the youngest Best Actor in the history of the Stellar Awards and, without a doubt, the most commercially valuable one as well.
The moment he won the award, film and television forums across the internet buzzed with discussions analyzing the patterns of this year’s Stellar Awards.
Post after post related to him quickly climbed to the front page.
[By the way, back in the Verse days, did anyone ever imagine Lu Xu would make it this far?]
[Not at all.]
[There’s still evidence on the forums. Before My Baby Prince, searching for “Lu Xu” mostly pulled up mocking posts.]
[Search for My Baby Prince, and you’ll find plenty of surprises—the forums were tearing him apart back then.]
[The other three members of Verse and Lu Xu were worlds apart. If I’m not mistaken, Lu Xu’s fans once mentioned he was b*llied, but back then, the other three’s fans were so dominant that no one listened to the explanations from Lu Xu’s side.]
[I remember that. Truly, the wheel of fortune turns. Back then, forget about dreaming that Lu Xu would become an A-list actor; even imagining him as the most popular member of Verse was impossible.]
[The day Lu Xu left Verse, the forum’s front page was filled with celebratory posts. Honestly, it wasn’t even that long ago.]
[Now that Lu Xu has won the award, the other Verse members are trying to ride his coattails. It’s hilarious. When someone becomes famous, everyone suddenly wants to be their friend. Too bad Lu Xu isn’t giving them the time of day.]
[It’s nowhere near as dramatic as the chaos when they reposted The Empress content to gain traction.]
The reactions from the other top young actors to Lu Xu’s win were relatively subdued. They had mentally prepared themselves for this outcome. Since the success of The Path of Bones, Lu Xu’s momentum had become unstoppable.
Unless Lu Xu made a grave mistake of his own, there wasn’t a single young actor in the industry who could surpass him.
But for certain individuals, Lu Xu winning Best Actor at the Stellar Awards was more painful than anything else. This particularly applied to the other three members of Verse and Zhang Che.
When Lu Xu was just starting out, Xie Qingyang and the others had already anticipated that as long as his popularity continued to rise, their own reputations would inevitably suffer.
That day came far sooner than they had expected.
The grievances Lu Xu endured during his time in Verse had been almost entirely uncovered, but that didn’t mean Xie Qingyang and the others could easily escape scrutiny. Lu Xu’s fans weren’t the aggressive type; instead, they played the long game. Their signature trait? Holding grudges even better than Lu Xu himself, digging up grievances from as far back as eight hundred years ago.
If it were only about exposing how they bullied Lu Xu, it might have been manageable. After all, when you’re covered in lice, another bite doesn’t sting, and when you’re drowning in debt, more doesn’t matter. But Lu Xu’s fans had a unique approach: instead of stopping there, they unearthed dirt that made Xie Qingyang, Gu Sinian, and Meng Qin look downright embarrassing—things like Xie Qingyang smoking, Gu Sinian spitting in public, and Meng Qin littering.
B*llying Lu Xu could be excused as an internal group matter. These days, idols were as dramatic as ever, and with enough scrutiny, every group could practically spawn its own academic discipline of scandals. But the type of dirt dug up by Lu Xu’s fans stomped all over their early image as idols. The few remaining fans Xie Qingyang and the others had left quickly abandoned them.
As for Zhang Che—
He almost cursed Lu Xu not to win the award.
But Lu Xu won anyway.
Now Lu Xu was a Stellar Award Best Actor, while Zhang Che was a nobody who couldn’t even get a nomination. For Zhang Che, reality was unbearably harsh.
All it took was one wrong choice, and the whole game was lost.
On the night of Lu Xu’s Stellar Award victory, some bored netizens created a short video titled “Rocket Puppy Boxer vs. Defeated Opponents.”
In the video, Lu Xu was depicted as a boxing puppy. Each time he KO’d an opponent, he jumped onto a rocket and shot upward with a “whoosh.”
Lu Xu KO’d Gu Sinian, Chen Ye, Zhang Che, and others in sequence, even taking down Lin Ge Entertainment along the way.
There was also a video of Lu Xu as a puppy riding a bicycle. While the boxing video felt like an effective attack, the cycling video was more of an abstract, “mystical” take. In the video, Lu Xu simply rode a bike past Gu Sinian, Chen Ye, and Zhang Che, performing nothing more than the single action of riding. Yet somehow, as he passed each of them, they dramatically toppled one by one.
The video focused on individuals rather than productions, as even The Watchers, KO’d by My Baby Prince, featured Yue Hui in its cast.
[This is hilarious. If I were one of Lu Puppy’s opponents, I’d genuinely be mad!]
[Lucky dog!]
As Lu Xu celebrated his win, Feiyang Entertainment and various platforms stayed busy. The official Stellar Awards account quickly posted photos of Lu Xu’s win, which Feiyang Entertainment promptly reshared. Yunduo Film first tagged the When I Was 18 production team, then followed up with promotional stills from Son of Heaven, thanking Lu Xu for starring in both works streamed on their platform.
Grape Film also joined in with enthusiastic congratulations, using the opportunity to promote The Path of Bones and Voice of the Dead.
Though these series had long since concluded, they still ranked high on their respective platforms’ viewership charts, even today.
The influence of the Stellar Awards was beyond what most outsiders could imagine. After Lu Xu’s victory, it was certain that, for his generation of actors, any TV script entering the market would be offered to Lu Xu first before anyone else got a chance.
This didn’t mean the other actors could only choose from what Lu Xu passed on, but in the minds of directors and screenwriters, there was undoubtedly a hierarchy among actors. And Lu Xu was now unquestionably in the top position.
Ever since Son of Heaven was shortlisted for the Stellar Awards, Lu Xu had been steadily building trust in the industry. With his win for Best Actor, that trust had reached its peak.